Second Defendant in State Game Warden Hostage Case Pleads Guilty

AUSTIN – The son of a former Upshur County commissioner arrested in October 2012 for holding a state game warden at gunpoint has pled guilty to one count of unlawful restraint, a Class A misdemeanor.

In 115th Dist. Court, Judge Lauren Parish sentenced 28-year-old Todd A. Crabtree to a one-year jail sentence, probated for two years. In addition, Crabtree was ordered to publicly apologize to the game warden and other law enforcement officers who responded to the scene last year.

Crabtree also will have to pay a $250 fine, take an anger management class, pay court costs and other fees as well as perform 100 hours of community service. While on probation he will have to submit to monthly drug tests and will be barred from drinking alcohol. He also will be prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition during his probation.

The charges to which Crabtree pled guilty stem from an Oct. 6, 2012 incident in which the game warden was disarmed and detained by two armed men while the officer was making a routine check for hunting law violations on private property in Upshur County.

The game warden used his cell phone to call for help, and soon numerous local and state officers came to his assistance and ended the situation with no shots fired.